Fashion: Spring Jewellery

I had such good intentions for this month. Dissertation handed in, holidays began — 'I'll have so much time', I told myself. 'I'll post at least three times a week', I said. Somehow the first week went by in a flurry of working and organising things, and suddenly I was jetting off to Cyprus via London to see my boyfriend for glorious 10 days with pretty much no internet (still wading through the backlog of 900+ posts on Bloglovin). Then there was the last minute flight change, the 3 hours of sleep after travelling all night to get to Oxford, and the internship interview. Seriously, can life get any busier? I am finally home, and it's the middle of the last week of University holiday before I have my final essay to hand in. But I will blog. I WILL.

So, here we go! I thought I'd share some of my recent jewellery finds.

In the past, I never really bought any jewellery. I didn't like wearing anything but earrings, as anything around my neck, wrists or fingers made me feel uncomfortable. The high street shop selection did not appeal to so I made all my jewellery by myself. While you'll still catch me sporting handmade strawberries or watermelon slices on my ears, I've slowly started getting into wearing more fashion jewellery though, and when I started my new job, it became almost a necessity. I work for a company that deals with jewellery in Outfit, Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Miss Selfridge and Boots, and we are, of course, encouraged to wear the products as well (yes, I am essentially a walking jewellery display as well). So I've branched out a little bit more with my jewellery wearing habits, and I thought I'd show you what I've picked over the past couple of months. Most of these are still available in (selected) stores and I'll try to link all the ones available online as well.

Tassel Necklace via Topshop (available in stores)

Marble Front Back Studs via Topshop (available in stores and online)

I've always worn silver jewellery and stated that I dislike gold. Yet somehow, most of the stuff I've picked up has been gold! I feel like with blond hair, gold suits me better than it did with dark hair.

When I picked up the tassel necklace, I thought it looked really cool. But in all honesty, it's too cool for me. I don't really know what to wear it with. I'm all stripes, skirts and polkadots. Not cool enough for this (or, well, different kind of cool). I love love love the marble studs though.

Pearl Ear Cuffs via Miss Selfridge (available in stores and online)

Leaf Earrings via Dorothy Perkins (available in stores and online)

The ear cuff is sadly quite uncomfortable on (do I have weird ears?), pretty though it is. The leaf earrings are one of my favourites. So pretty!

Bee Ring via Dorothy Perkins (no longer available)

Lead Ring via Dorothy Perkings (available in stores and online)

The bee ring was a find on my first day of work. It was down to £2 and with staff discount I took it home for only £1.80. I'd been wanting a bee ring since seeing one in Topshop months before (could only find one and it was so big it fell off my finger immediately). I had to have it!

Bunting Necklace via Dorothy Perkins (available in stores and online)
Square Necklace via Topshop (available in stores)

Silver Rope Knot Bracelet via Topshop (available in stores and online)

Leaf Necklace via Dorothy Perkins (on sale, available in selected stores)

This is my elf necklace. All the Thranduil vibes (sorry (not sorry) for the geekery).

3-pack Fine Neckwear via Topshop (available in stores)

I got this multipack on a whim even though I thought it 'wasn't me', but funny enough, I've got more wear out of it than any of the other necklaces! I particularly like the circles and the bar.

Disclaimer: I did not pay for these pieces (except for the bee ring), as they are part of my work 'uniform', but I was not asked to write a blog post nor am I getting anything for it. I just liked what I picked up and thought I'd share.

Wishlist: Spring Footwear

1. ASOS LUMBA Pointed Two Part Ballets £22.00

2. New Look Lolita Weave Gladiator Leather Flat Shoes £24.99

3. Clarks Ennis Willow £70

4. Faith Gipsy Pink Ombre Glitter Flat Shoes £39

5. ASOS MIGHT YOU Cut Out Leather Jazz Shoes £30.00 

6.ASOS SUMMIT Heels £35.00

7. New Look Klub Mint Tassel Patent Flat Shoes £24.99

8. New Look Liquorice Two Part Colour Block Flat Shoes £17.99

9. Oasis Black Flat Pointed Shoes £22.00

I was having a little browse at ASOS, looking for a nice pair of spring shoes to take with me to Cyprus. I don't think the weather will permit my icy feet to wear sandals, but I thought that a nice new flats might be in order — but of course I got distracted by all the prettiness and both sandals and heels made it to my 'Saved' page. There are so many nice shoes available for this season, so I thought I'd share my picks. Everything, except for the gorgeous Clarks pastel brogues, is available via ASOS.

I impressed myself by only choosing one(!) pair of black shoes — it must really be spring!

Freedom (and Other New Things)

I feel like a fairy tale expert now (this is about a quarter of my books)

It's been over a month since my last update and a lot has happened since then, so I thought I'd write a little catch-up post before returning to my usual content.

Terrified graduate-to-be handing in their dissertation after much drama

The reason for my lack of blogging has been my dissertation, which I handed in yesterday. The final month was very hard, as not only did I get sick twice (currently still in recovery), but we also had our annual 3-day swing dance workshop and the University's dance society's annual dance showcase, which both took place in mid/late March. During the final two weeks before the show, I was spending about 10 hours a week at dance rehearsals. Amazing, but exhausting. And probably not great when you have a dissertation to write! I was determined not to miss the showcase, however, as this year was my fourth and final year participating. It felt very special, especially since I was co-choreographing our swing dance performance! I was so proud of our little troupe!

Today is the first day of Easter holidays, which means glorious 3 weeks with no University or deadlines (besides a few job applications). I'm still working, but my hours are so small that it hardly counts. I'm jetting off to Cyprus next Friday to see my boyfriend for the first time in over 3 months and to celebrate our missed anniversary (3 years!) and his birthday. I must admit, a trip to warmer climate sounds absolutely heavenly in itself too. Aberdeen has been absolutely dreadful. +6 degrees, and on 1st of April I got caught in snowstorm on the way home from work (wearing ballet flat, cropped trousers and a blazer, as it had been sunny all day until that point). The sky is obscured by grey clouds on nearly daily basis, I can't remember a day when it hasn't rained, and often I can't tell the difference between 8am and 3pm.

My plans for the coming weeks include (besides boring things like internship and graduate job applications) lots of crafts (maybe finally learning to crochet?) and relaxing. I'm looking forward to having time to spend blogging as well, I've jotted down so many blog post ideas over the last month! Anyone else get all the ideas when they have no time to execute them? Cyprus should also be great for outfit photos, because a) boyfriend (camera man), b) sun (nice clothes) and c) pretty sights (nice backdrops, unlike the stonewall at the backgarden)!

A little announcement to finish: I am moving to Oxford(shire) on the 9th of May! I'll be doing a work experience placement with Oxford University Press and househunting for a flat for my boyfriend (who'll be moving back to the UK at the end of May) and I. I am beyond excited and can't wait to start this new chapter of my life. I have one essay due after the holidays so I'm moving out straight away after it's done, and then I only need to come back to Aberdeen for graduation in mid-June. Hurrah!

Outfit: In the Mood

Am I committing a massive blogger mistake by uploading an iPhone mirror selfie as my outfit photo? If so, sorry.

I was at a dance workshop all day on Saturday (hence the shoes), and I took this at the empty dance studio during the lunch break because I just really liked my outfit and my hair that day. It's simple and comfortable, but still looks nice. The scallop-edged pencil skirt is from ASOS sales (I couldn't resist when they had extra 10% off sale) and it's my new favourite thing. It's by a brand called Darling and the material is just so lovely and soft. Especially inside the pockets (which obviously meant I kept putting my hands in my pockets all the time throughout the day)! And talking of pockets — can we take a moment to appreciate skirts with pockets? Style, comfort and utility. In other words, perfection.

Please tell me that the scallop trend is here to stay because I still can't get enough! I want all the scallop things. Expect a post with incredibly cute scallop-edged polka dot shorts (which I got in the same ASOS order with the skirt) soon...! Yes, I only buy scallop things now.

Just a quick little update this time. I was ill pretty much all last week and finally got better (and thus got to attend the dance workshop), so I'm excited to actually be able to leave my flat in this week. I do have an essay to hand in and a dissertation to work on, so this excitement might be short-lived, but I'll enjoy it while I can!

Beauty: Showel Gel Problem

I have a problem. I can't stop buying shower gels.

But hey, even if I have more shower gels than I realistically have time to use, at least that means I can show them to you guys and tell you about them (blog post — ta dah!). There is always a silver lining.

TREACLE MOON Warm Apple Pie Hugs and Sweet Blackberry Memories (£2.99, Tesco)

Visiting my local Tesco Extra is dangerous just because of these beauties. Massive 500ml bottles for £2.99 (currently on offer for £2.49 though — even more tempting!), wide array of different scents, all beautifully presented and colourful. Sold. Which is why I have two full size bottles despite the fact that I have almost 1/3 left of my first bottle...

And talking of said first bottle, I'm currently using Warm Cinnamon Nights. The bottle is no longer pretty enough to warrant a photo so you will just have to imagine the red-hued pink gel which creates pink bubbles and smells like cinnamon-flavoured candy: spicy yet sweet. I wish the scent lingered on skin longer, because I want to smell like that all the time. So. Good.

Warm Apple Pie Hugs is a sweet, crisp apple scent reminiscent of Granny Smiths. That said, it doesn't remind me of apple pies. But that's probably just me — I associate apple pie with scent of cinnamon, as I've always had my apple pies sprinkled with cinnamon. It's an addicting scent though, and I'm always a big fan of crisp apple scent. It's so clean and fresh.

Sweet Blackberry Memories is lovely sweet yet fresh scent, and reminds me of a few berry-flavoured green/white teas I've had over the years. Absolute winner. This is definitely a summer scent.

I'm still lusting over The Honeycomb Secret (very similar to LUSH It's Raining Men), but I'll restrain myself (for now). Treacle Moon also gets extra brownie points for being cruelty-free!

SUPER BEAUTY Ginger & Pear (currently on offer for £2.49, normally £4.99, Boots)

Ginger and pear are a combination that I will always love, regardless of the context. Tea, cake, jam, shower gel... I'll have them all. Perfect zing of ginger combined with sweet and juicy scent of pear. I can't wait to try this out!

LUSH Hot Toddy (limited edition, sold out)

I got these from the Christmas sales and boy am I happy I got two small ones instead of just one. I'm a lover of anything spicy and Christmas-y all year round, so these fit the bill perfectly. Bonus points for the glitter. I'm very happy I got the small bottles, as they're perfect for travelling (which has been happening a fair bit lately!).

LUSH Sweetie Pie

This is my second pot of the stuff and I can't get enough. The form (being jelly) takes a little of getting used to, but I think it's quite a fun and original feature. Apparently Sweetie Pie has the same scent as the ever popular The Comforter bubble bar — if so, I can see why it's popular. The scent is amazing. Beautifully sweet, reminding me of a natural version of Ribena (if such existed). Win. Plus, it's glittery jelly!

SOAP&GLORY Orangeasm

Soap&Glory is always a good idea, but when I saw the Orangeasm gift set reduced to 70% off in Boots after New Year, I could hardly pass it by! Especially after seeing everyone and their grandmothers fawning over the smell. Certainly worth the try with that price tag! A lovely fresh citrus scent, and I love the pump bottle design.

Oufit: Spirit of Autumn

Dress: Oasap / Tights: New Look

Despite it being pretty much mid-winter, this outfit made me feel very autumnal. I think it's the vibrant orange colour palette?

I had a realisation that I should have perhaps opened my plaits up a little bit, they're a little too neat for my taste and it's making my hair seems very flat. I have a bad habit of underlining of all the negative sides from my outfits don't I? Dear me. I love the dress. LOVE.

I feel like I'm cheating a little by calling these 'outfit photos' — you can't even see my shoes after all!

Problems with tripods, broken autofocuses and being half-blind: blurry outfit photos. I need a photography buddy (Nick, please move back to UK now).

Lifestyle: Confessions of a Busy Bee

Image via someecards

Turns out that final semester of your final year at Uni is a very busy time. I had my first 500-word deadline for my dissertation today, as well as first day at a new job. There's also an internship application forever hanging over my head. Basically, I've just got a lot on my plate. It's only the third week of term but I feel like I've been buried under a pile of work for months.

But here is a little update anyway. I quite like reminding myself that I do actually do other things than read, write and wail over dissertation proposals and cover letters. Like see friends and make a little effort to enjoy life.

Last week, I booked last minute bus tickets to London (a combination of a bout of midnight madness, temptingly low bus prices and the urge to get out of Aberdeen) for the weekend just gone. Night busing is never great, but somehow it was still worth it. I don't really have any complaints about the Megabus Gold Sleeper Service on the way down, but the regular night bus on the way up made me want to cry with fatigue. But like I said, it was still worth it. I spent two days with a friend, did some little TKMaxx and Wholefoods shopping and went to The Bloggers' Market, which was organised by some of my favourite bloggers (Carrie, Olivia, Dunya, Lucy & Kristabel). I made a couple of amazing bargain buys, which will (hopefully) feature in outfit posts soon! To my surprise, I didn't take a single photo (not even with my phone) the entire weekend! But it was nice to just ignore my phone for change and focus on enjoying my time in London with my friend.

Short and sweet this time. Just a little reminder that even though I sometimes feel like I'm being consumed by research, writing and all the pressure, I still have other things in my life. Friends, talking with my boyfriend, events like The Bloggers' Market or a dance workshop that I'll be attending in Edinburgh this weekend, clothes... and of course this blog. My little space to come and talk about things that are a little less "grimm" than Little Red Riding Hood (being oh so clever with my fairy tales references).